Organization works to preserve veterans' memories

Sept. 23--WARRENSBURG -- World War II and Korean War veterans' memories are being preserved by the Johnson County Historical Society in cooperation with the Missouri Veterans History Project, museum curator Lisa Irle said Monday.

Interviews with area veterans will be recorded, Irle said.

"They will be video-taped interviews. They have to be 30 minutes in length in order to be presented to the Library of Congress," she said, with an interview structure established by the Missouri Veterans History Project. "They have experience in doing this."

Missouri Veterans History Project Executive Director Audrey Mack, Olivette, said recordings could be of value to military researchers, perhaps being broken down in ways that allow an index for cave fighters on Iwo Jima or men flying the Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission.

Johnson County and project representatives will meet in October in Warrensburg to test how the program will work in this area. Irle said county representatives have an interview subject ready.

"We'll be interviewing Sam Raber of Holden. He's one of the people who has partnered with this group in order to capture these histories that are so important," she said.

Raber served in World War II and later returned to Johnson County to live and work.

"This project focuses not only on the veterans' experiences in the war, but on their life stories. It allows the veterans to share whatever they would like of their story -- maybe the experience of their service or their life afterward," Irle said.

The program is designed to preserve the voices of those who protected freedom, she said.

"Time is of the essence. We're happy to be involved in this project now rather than later," Irle said. "These interviews are going to be logged as the veterans are speaking so that topics for researchers in the future will be included in a log that goes with the DVD."

A sense of urgency to get veterans' stories told comes as the population ages, Mack said.

"We just do the best we can, one day at a time," she said. "Obviously World War II and Korean vets are our priority."

Each log will be filed with the Library of Congress, the State Historical Society of Missouri in Columbia, the Johnson County Historical Society and free with each participating veteran's family.

"Sometimes the veterans have never been asked to tell their story," Irle said. "We think it's a really important opportunity."

Preserving veterans' memories is important personally for veterans, Mack said.

"It leaves a lasting legacy for the veterans and their families, first and foremost," she said. "Secondly, it provides personal, first-hand accounts from your everyday (service member). It comes from the heart and it's personal experience. It's everybody, not just a general or someone who was wounded. It crosses all lines, and that leaves a more meaningful picture of history for the future."

The project will take time, Irle said.

"Maybe four (interviews) a month will be the rate at which this process can be completed," Irle said. "We will record as many as possible."

___

(c)2014 The Daily Star-Journal (Warrensburg, Mo.)

Visit The Daily Star-Journal (Warrensburg, Mo.) at www.dailystarjournal.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services